twinfan

Maybe just what we need..... a Season Of The Witch.

Don't need both Solano and Farmer. You cannot win with fringe players even though both are versatile. Solano seems better than Farmer and maybe will bump him off the roster. Can't see dropping Larnach. Definitely don't drop a pitcher. But let's see how Spring Training pans out with injuries or a trade (2 of ours for 1 of theirs who can help).

Ober could be a #3 or #4 starter for this team as Maeda and Mahle have to prove themselves after injuries. I'm not sure why so many think Gallo is such an answer. He's good defensively and hits homers but is a hole in the lineup. I'd keep Kepler and sign Fullmer. Still, it's a long way to the start of the season and we'll see. Reynolds would be a nice addition but I'd rather trade prospects that proven big leaguers right now. You don't really know how prospects will turn out. And I can't agree that we would trade starters at the deadline if we are in contention.

I often review many of the old Washington Senators/Minnesota Twins players that I rooted for over the years (I'm giving my age away) and wonder whatever happened to them after baseball and even if they are still alive. Thanks for the review.

While I wouldn't trade Polanco, I can see them trading Kepler (but I wouldn't) though I think he will benefit with the end of the shift. Much depends on what they can/will get for Max. I like him since I am also Jewish so I hope that, if he is traded, that it's to the Yankees.

We need bullpen arms and Barnes could help.

I'd rather have Gordon than Taylor. Taylor has experience but isn't any better than what we already have and takes a spot away from a youngster who should get ML experience. He doesn't hurt us except in that way. As for Celestino, I'm not confident that he will get much better though I like his hustle.

I thought he did a decent job and could give good innings. Hopefully he will make the majors with Miami but don't expect him to start unless injuries come up.

Comparing a proven major league hitter to a AA ballplayer (who doesn't hit much) is Ludacris. Why was this article even printed?

I have no confidence in the Twins front office. Trading a hitter of Arraez caliber for a pitcher is a mistake. There was no reason why Luis couldn't be a DH if his fielding is "that" bad. So now we have a DH who hits below the Mendoza line and strikes out half the time. I would have felt better about the deal if the Twins would have gotten a reliever included in the deal. Our bullpen is our weakness right now (though the offense did take a hit) and now there is talk of trading Kepler- who will be helped with no shift anymore- and for what? We can have 10 starters but they won't pitch more than 6 innings. So, with a weakened offense scoring fewer runs, the added burden falls on the bullpen. Yikes! I am growing more concerned about the Twins ability to win more than half their games in 2023. But I'll wait for now before making any predictions.

I'm amazed that nobody mentioned Arraez who is the heart of this team. If he can come close to last season, the offense- even with Gallo striking out 200+ times- should be fine. Also, Polanco will be here all season and he is a big contributor. While I'm not high on Lewis, he has shown flashes of being a solid major leaguer when he is healthy. If Kirilloff can stay healthy and Buxton the same, we'll be very good. Let's see if Miranda is real going forward. The starters are good enough and the bullpen is the big question. I'd say we can win 86-87 games. The Guardians added some much needed pop but only were good for 2 months of last season. The White Sox are a big question mark though I expect them to be better. Having an old, out of touch, manager plus injuries hurt them last year. The Tigers will be better and KC probably won't. So we are right in it. The thing that may hurt us is we don't play as many in our division as in the past. But there are other patsys to beat up on.

This is a clear sign of what is wrong with baseball and salaries. Nobody ever gets a cut in pay. Gallo has been awful for 2 years and Conforto didn't even play last year. It's sickening to see players who do not get what they should because teams are just plain stupid and throw money around like they are printing it and then charge us to pay for it. Yuck!

I'm surprised the Twins didn't get Taylor Rogers back but another failure on management's part. Fullmer would be good and we still have a couple like Lopez who could bounce back. I wouldn't count on Thielbar continuing to get hitters out. The league is catching up to him and I don't expect him to continue his late career success. I'm not sure about Hand or Smith though I like Smith more. Britton could be a good answer if he is healthy as his stuff is nasty. Moore had a breakout season but who knows. Reyes might help but I'm not sure about any others. What about our closer of the future? The time is now.

I'd rather have Raseal Iglesias than Jansen. Also I don't see Milwaukee giving up Woodruff. Rodon would be a good signing for 3 years. I don't see why the Twins couldn't have used Sanchez as the DH and emergency only catcher. I don't believe in Jeffers as the #1 catcher. And I would not get rid of Urshela who is very good defensively and decent on offense. I do like the idea of signing Abreu who remains a very good hitter.

If the Twins believe that Lewis will be the answer, then Iglesias makes sense. If they don't feel that way, I'd love for them to sign Turner who I think is the best out there. If not Turner, then Correa though I don't believe he will sign with us. I'd like to see us get a couple of bullpen stalwarts. Teams will win with a solid bullpen and I don't think we are quite there yet.

One thing most are forgetting is that Gallo is a very good outfielder with a very good arm. However, I would not want to add him to what we have already. We are probably saying good-bye to Sano though he could be a decent DH and bats from the right side. Then, as others have said, we are loaded with left handed batters. While I would vote "no" with our current roster, if we made changes by trading some of the lefty batters (which I would not do), then Gallo might be worth taking with a cheap contract. But there are other fish out there.

I think Ryan and Ober are 2 to build a rotation around. Add Maeda and Gray then maybe Mahler and it's not that bad. But we need a bullpen group that can be effective on a regular basis because today's starters rarely go past 6 innings, 90 pitches or into the 3rd time through the lineup. But it will also be interesting to see how pitchers adapt to the pitch clock and hitters do with no whole lotta shifting going on (sounds like a song title by my man Jerry Lee who just passed).

Ah, the joys of the off-season. The time that dreams are made...and destroyed. I'd give up Lewis in a heartbeat to get Ohtani but it won't happen. I wouldn't touch DeGrom who appears to be slowing down from multiple injuries. Verlander would be good but would need kid gloves to not be overworked. Rodon would be nice but we can't afford him. I've said it before that today's game is a bullpen game and, if a team doesn't have a bullpen that can go out there almost every day and pitch 3-4 innings of shutdown baseball, the team won't win. Thus, we need to make sure we have 6-8 top bullpen pitchers because we can't afford the top starters who may go past the 6th inning.

Today's game doesn't even require a super #1 starter anymore but does require a deep lockdown bullpen. Starters rarely go more than 6 innings or 95 pitches but the bullpen may pitch 3-4 innings per game. That is where a low budget team like the Twins can come out on top if they can scout the right talent. Gray, Maeda, Mahle (?), Ryan, Ober and even Bundy can be a decent rotation though an upgrade or two wouldn't hurt. It's the bullpen that will really make the difference between contending and not. And when the playoffs roll around, unless you have a bye in the first round, your #1 starter only gets to start the first game once per series and may not be available more than twice total in a series.

I like Kepler and hope the Twins keep him. But I would be curious as to how many hits any batter has lost to the shifts over the past 2-3 years and I hope the scouts are looking at this going into next year. A .220 hitter might get up to .250 since there won't be a shift anymore. Does this apply to Kepler? However, if he has some value that we can get a decent reliever for him, then I'd say bye-bye.

While it would be great to bring in Turner for 5+ years or bring back Correa, it's definitely a long shot. With so many big name shortstops out there, Correa may not get the offers he is seeking and may return to us. Iglesias is a good fit and he has hit well in the recent past. I don't think Lewis will be the answer but I have never been high on him. Polanco at short didn't work in the past and won't work here. Urshela is a possibility but then we need a third baseman unless Miranda goes there and Arraez to first (or vice versa). And I wouldn't overpay for Swanson. Let's see what happens.

We had a great season (through mid-August) due to a weaker than normal White Sox team. Then the injuries caught up with us and the Guardians got very hot. Next year will be very different without a shift and with a pitch clock and with hitters no longer allowed to lollygag between pitches. Our scouts should look at ballplayers on both our team and others that will be helped and/or hurt by those new rules and act accordingly. We need pitching help more than anything else- especially in the bullpen. And we need a big hitter- especially if Correa doesn't resign. And, perhaps as much as anything, we need HEALTH. We can't afford injuries.

If not Correa, Trae Turner, period. Nobody else is worth it. If you need a bridge, maybe Iglesias. Keep Urshela at third or DH. And don't trade him. That's all folks!

Correa would be a great keep beyond his baseball skills because of what he adds to the youngsters and the clubhouse. But Turner is just as good overall so, if we can't keep Correa, we need to go get Turner. I'm not sold on Swanson being their equal.

Why should there be a crunch in the 40 man roster? Do you really want to keep Jake Cave on there? Sano? Thielbar? Archer, even Sanchez? C'mon. There has to be minor leaguers better than them. And cheaper too. And what does "ready" really mean? Prospect lists come and go and some of those on the team now doing ok were never top 10 prospects. If a player is that good, then play him. If not, then ????